12 hours ago
Construction training program propels Clayton County students into career opportunities
Friday was graduation day in Clayton County, and the diplomas came with a bonus.
Thaddeus Brown told Channel 2's Berndt Petersen he liked the math.
'At least 45 to 47, to 120, and maybe 200,000,' Brown said.
That's dollars, salaries for qualified construction professionals who got trained by the metro Atlanta nonprofit Construction Ready.
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Most of the 19 graduates just finished high school, then successfully completed the nonprofit's intense four-week pre-apprenticeship program at Clayton Schools' Perry Career Academy.
'This is for students who aren't going to college or into the military. This is another option for them to get into our industry very quickly and make a lot of money and have a long-term career in construction,' the nonprofit's CEO Scott Shelar said.
'It has been amazing in terms of the lives we have impacted through this partnership,' Principal Terry Young said.
The graduates have already had interviews with local construction companies. They're prepared to report to a job site today, and some are thinking big about tomorrow.
'I will start my own business in construction,' graduate Sanna Brown Tucker said.
Brown said he can't wait to get to work.
'The more you're willing to learn, the farther you will go,' Brown said.
Industry experts say 7,000 construction jobs are currently unfilled in Georgia.
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